Shag Harbour UFO festival this weekend

Doctor’s Cove youth Jacob Ward was thoroughly enjoying his visit to the Shag Harbour UFO Interpretive Centre last week. The 45th anniversary of the Shag Harbour UFO incident will be celebrated this weekend at the sixth annual Shag Harbour Incident Festival.

The 45th anniversary of Shag Harbour UFO incident will be celebrated this weekend at the sixth annual Shag Harbour Incident Festival.

The two-day event kicks off on Friday, Aug. 3 with special activities at the Shag Harbour UFO Interpretive Centre during the day including a barbecue and a display by local crafters.

Participants will be able to hear first hand accounts of the 1967 UFO incident from eyewitnesses Laurie (Dick) Wickens and Havlock Cameron during an afternoon session at the Shag Harbour Community Hall starting at 1 p.m. Renowned UFO researchers and authors Chris Styles and Don Ledger will also be in attendance. Admission will be charged.

Friday evening Styles and Ledger, who are both musicians, will be jammin’ with Langille Dixon and Friends at a kitchen party at the Shag Harbour Community Centre. The line-up also includes Lynne Crowell. The fun begins at 7 p.m.

On Saturday morning starting at 9 a.m. Styles and Ledger will be giving an in-depth talk on the Shag Harbour UFO Incident at the community centre.

The festival will wrap up with the Shag Harbour Incident 45th anniversary parade starting at 2 p.m. from the Shag Harbour Post Office. There will be games and face-painting at the Shag Harbour UFO Interpretive Centre following the parade.

Organizers are hoping for a good turnout for this year’s festival. “We’ve been getting a lot of email inquiries,” said Cindy Nickerson, chairperson of the Shag Harbour Incident Society. “We usually have a pretty good turnout.”

Visitors to the Interpretive Centre have been steady this summer said Nickerson, with more than 600 people stopping in during the first two months of the summer season. The Interpretive Centre is continuing to improve and expand its displays, including a new space exhibit and interactive activities for youth.

The Shag Harbour Incident Society also had a new website (www.shagharbourincident.com) and has produced their first newsletter, which is available on the website.